Adjustable intravenous board



Dec. 21, 1954 J, COSTQN 2,697,436

ADJUSTABLE INTRAVENOUS BOARD Filed July 28, 1953 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. J05EPH E. 005 TON l/Uadz f HNO HTTOENE'YS Dec. 21, 1954 J, E, cos'roN ADJUSTABLE INTRAVENOUS BOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28, 1953 INVENTOR. J0EPH ['05TON Y ivj 0/70 yM W HTTOENEYS ADJUSTABLE INTRAVENOUS BOARD Joseph Edward Coston, Wilmington, N. C.

Application July 28, 1953, Serial No. 370,906

5 Claims. (Cl. 128-214) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to arm supports for use in administering medications or liquid feeding to patients and more particularly to intravenous boards or supports that are readily adjustable to any size arm to immobilize the arm for injection, that are comfortable to the patient, and that are easily cleaned.

In many cases, where the patient is not in too serious a condition, intravenous injections in the arm can be made without any arm support or in restricting arm movements, but where the patient is seriously ill and is restless, it is essential that the arm into which the injection is to be given must be immobilized, or substantially so, to avoid accident and injury to the patient by the injection equipment. board to the patients arm. Such an arm board is ordinarily uncomfortable and may become extremely uncomfortable to a restless and seriously ill patient. Movement of the patient often tightens the gauze ties causing more discomfort and requiring the attendant to loosen the ties. A seriously ill patient needs a great deal of attention and care so the added duties of readjusting the arm board and the ties works a great hardship on the nurse or attendant as well as causing additional discomfort to the patient.

In the present invention the intravenous board is made of balsa wood which is strong but light in weight. This board is padded on one face with sponge rubber to cushion the arm. A plurality of one of the elements of snap fastening grippers are positioned centrally and longitudinally along the other face of the board to which two or more arm bands with the other element of the snap fastening gripper attached thereto may be selectively snapped. The ends of the arm bands have companion elements of the snap fastening grippers thereon to permit circumferential adjustment of each arm band about the patients arm. The various parts are padded or covered wherever necessary to avoid irritating edges coming in contact with the patients arm and to facilitate cleaning. It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a readily adjustable and attachable arm board for use in intravenous arm injections which will immobilize the arm without discomfort to the patient and which is easily maintained in a clean condition.

These and other objects, advantages, features, and uses will become more apparent as the description proceeds when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the bottom side of the arm board and arm bands thereon, and

Fig. 2 shows a partial isometric view of the top side of the arm board with arm bands thereon.

Referring to both Figs. 1 and 2, the arm board is made of a stiff slat member 10, preferably of an elongated piece of balsa wood or other light weight material, with the top side thereof having a resilient or cushion material 11, as sponge rubber or the like, afiixed thereto. The resilient material 11 is enveloped in a white non-porous plastic sheet 12 which has the edges turned over the resilient material and fixed to the top side of the stifi member as by cementing, or the like.

Fixed centrally and lengthwise on the bottom of the stiff member 10 is a strip of heavy cloth tape, or the like, 13 as by cementing or tacking in any well known manner. Equidistantly spaced along the tape 13 are a The most usual practice is to tie a gauze-wrapped StatesPatent O 2,697,436 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 plurality of the male snap fastener members or aligned one half companion snap fasteners or gipper elements 14, nine being shown although any desirable number may be employed. The stifi member 10 and the tape 13 may be covered with a white plastic material as the resilient pad 11 or may be painted with several coats of white paint in order to prevent the arm board from absorbing fluids and to facilitate cleaning.

On selected grippers 14 are snapped flexible, nonstretchable, bendable arm bands 15 which have a plurality of the female snap fasteners or the other half companion snap fasteners or gripper elements 16 equidistantly spaced therealong for approximately three-fourths of the band from one end thereof. On the end of each arm band free of the gripper elements 16 are two male gripper elements 14 spaced apart an amount equal to the spacing of the gripper elements 16 and fixed to the side of the band 15 opposite that of the gripper elements 16 so that the bands may be formed in substantially a circle around the arm board and resilient pad with the two gripper elements 14 snapped into any selected two gripper elements 16. Also on the end of each arm band 15 on the side opposite the two gripper elements 14 is a pad 17. Each of the pads 17 is made of a soft or resilient material 18, as cotton or sponge rubber or the like, that is covered with white plastic material 19 in a similar manner as the resilient pad 11. If cotton material or the like is used, it may first be wrapped with adhesive tape to hold it in place on the end of the arm band. The arm bands are made of non-stretchable fabric tape material and although three are shown and may be suflicient, more or less in number may be used where desirable or necessity requires.

In the use of the arm board for intravenous feeding or injections, the arm of the patient is laid on the arm board with the elbow against the resilient pad 11 and extended. The desirable number of arm bands 15 are adjustably snapped onto the arm board with one of the gripper elements 16 on each band snapped on the selected gripper element 14. The ends of each arm band 15 are brought over the patients arm and adjustably snapped together with the pad 17 against the arm. The resilient pads 11 and 17 cushion the patients arm in comfort yet the arm is held firmly extended so that there is little danger of the patient doubling the arm at the elbow to cause injury from the injection apparatus. The arm board and arm bands being covered or painted with a non-porous white material make them easily maintained clean. The adjustability of the arm bands along the arm board, the adjustability of the extent of the ends of the arm bands with respect to the arm board, and the adjustability of the circumferential length of the arm bands make the arm board adaptable for any size or length arm. Although the arm board device of this invention has been specifically shown and described for applications of intravenous injections, it is to be understood that it may have many applications of supporting human or other members, as for use as temporary splints, knee supports, or the like. The arm boards may also find application in pairs or plural numbers to provide a supporting means.

Although a single embodiment of this invention has been illustrated to show the advantages thereof and how it may be carried out, it is to be understood that many modifications and changes may be made in the constructional details and features without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I desire to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable intravenous arm support comprising, a stiff elongated member having a resilient pad on one face thereof and one element of detachable companion fastening means positioned at a plurality of points longitudinally along the other face thereof, and a plurality of flexible, non-stretchable bands each having the other element of the detachable companion fastening means thereon connected to the companion element on said elongated member and each having the ends thereof adjustably connectable transversely around said elongated member and over said resilient pad to securely support an am therein in comfort.

2. An adjustable intravenous arm support comprising,

a stiff elongated light weight member having a resilient pad on one-face thereof and aplurality of aligned-one.

attached to said member by said companion snap fasteners I in a transverse relation with the ends thereof looped over said resilient pad with a circumference ad ustable by said companion snap fasteners on the end and longitudinally or said bands.

3. An adjustable intravenous arm board for supporting a human arm for intravenous injections comprising, a stiff slat having a resilient pad on one side thereof and a plnrality of one element of companion snap fastening grippers on the other side thereof aligned longitudinally of said slat, and a plurality of flexible, non-stretchable fabric bands each having two of said one element of companion snap fastening grippers on one end thereof and a plurality of longitudinally arranged other element of said companion snap fastening grippers spaced apart an amount equal to the distance between said two of the oneelement -of said snap fastening grippers, the desired number of said bands being positioned substantially transversely at desired intervals along said slat and retained in position by said companion snap fastening grippers, and the outer ends of each of said bands being fastened by said two companion snap fastening grippers over the resilient pad at positions of said other elements of said companion snap fastening grippers to meet circumferential requirements of the arm to be supported.

4. An adjustable intravenous arm support comprising;

a stiff elongated member having a resilient pad on one face thereof and a plurality of removable transversely extending longitudinally displaced bands on the other face thereof-with adjustable fastening means on the ends of each band for adjustably supporting an arm on the re-' 4 silient pad of said stiff member, said bands each having a softpad. on .theend. thereofv facing the resilient pad to prevent contact between theadjnstable fastening means on a supported arm; and liquid impervious means over said resilient pad and said soft pads to prevent liquids being absorbed therein.

5. An adjustable intravenous'arm board comprising; a stiff slat having a resilient pad on one side thereof and a plurality. of one element of snap fastening grippers longitudinally aligned on the other side thereof; a plurality of fabric bands each having a plurality of the other element of said snap fastening grippers along one side thereof and at least one of said one element of said snap fastening grippers on one end of each band on the other side thereof, said last mentioned grippers adapted to be snap fastened to at least one of said other elements on the same band and one of said other elements on each of said bands being snap fastened to one each of said one element on said slatat selected longitudinal positions, the said other side of said bands each having a soft pad thereon at said one end; and a liquid impervious material over said resilient pad and said soft pads to prevent the absorption of liquids therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,551,617 Maybert May 8, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 138,015 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1920 OTHER REFERENCES Knox et al., Apparatus for Immobilizing Upper Ex- .tremity During Intravenous Therapy, Journal of The American Medical Association, pp. 685-686 of vol. 150, No. 7, Oct. 18, 1952. (Copy in Div. 55.) 

